Sailor Moon: Crossfire
by The Wild Turkey
Summary: The Senshi's are growing up and learning that the real world can be even darker than the forces of evil as the Earth gets caught in the crossfire of a war of the worlds.
1. Default Chapter

Sailor Moon: Crossfire  
  
Forward and Notes by the Author  
  
What makes me, a fully matured adult male, want to write a story about Sailor Moon, a children's anime targeted at girls? Well, I would say it's partly a desire to reconcile the sanitized image of life it presents with some of the grit and dirt of the real world. Sailor Moon uses the struggle between good and evil as a backdrop for the dramas that commonly confront children in the early years of adolescents; problems with school, friends, bullies, and their early attempts at relationships are all featured in certain ways. What it doesn't show are some of the nastier sides to life, like crime and violence, substance abuse, depression, suicide, teenage pregnancy. Though there have been deaths in Sailor Moon, such depiction's are more major points in the story line and are treated in an extremely dramatic way.   
However, mostly this story is being written because it's been hammering on the office door of my creative muse for months now and this is just a way to quieten it. As in real life, persistence does pay up in the end.   
A few important points to keep in mind whilst reading this. I much prefer the original Japanese version of the show to DiC's dubbed version. Because of this, the Sailor Moon characters featured carry their original Japanese names instead of their anglicized ones. However they will be in the traditional western format of given name followed by family name. Some more common Japanese words may be used to maintain the correct cultural flavour, particularly in multilingual situations. It's setting is a general point in time after the end of the second season, when the original inner senshi's are established in their roles, but before the introduction of the outer senshi's (mainly because I haven't seen from the third season onwards), so much of the story from that point is going to be rewritten.  
I can't give any promises about the regularity of updates as they will depend heavily on my real life schedule and studies, so please have a little patience.  
Also please keep in mind that, as I am Australian, this was written with the proper english spelling of many words and may look a bit funny to American readers.  
  
Characters  
A short list of the characters so people can keep track of who is who and for those more familiar with the anglicized version.  
  
Sailor Moon Characters  
Usagi Tsukino/Sailor Moon  
Ami Mizuno/Sailor Mercury  
Rei Hino/Sailor Mars  
Makoto Kino/Sailor Jupiter  
Minako Aino/Sailor Venus  
Yuuichirou Kamada (Chad in the English version)  
  
Original Characters  
David Kawakami: Detective with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. Concentrates mainly on organized crime.  
Hiroko Yamada: Detective recently partnered with David Kawakami.  
Kenji Takeda: Captain of the Juban Junior High soccer team. Is interested in Minako.  
Jon Winters: A westerner who performs contract hits and is extremely interested in a new   
high energy physics lab. 


	2. Part One

Guns, Crooks, Cops and Strangers  
  
David Kawakami stubbed his cigarette out on the car door he leant against, then took another from the pack in his shirt pocket and lit it. The night air was warm and humid, almost oppressive. A distant rumble over the nocturnal sounds of Tokyo heralded a coming storm and he wondered idly whether they would be in for an early typhoon. He hadn't had the time to check the weather report lately. Tonight would be the culmination of several weeks of work and he'd hate to have it spoiled by a downpour.  
A presence by his side stirred him out of the brooding he was in the habit of falling into when not otherwise occupied. "Not much longer." Detective Hiroko Yamada said as she handed him a cup of coffee. Her dark hair was tied in a long pony tail that hung down her back, partly obscuring the word 'POLICE' emblazoned on the back of her black jacket in large yellow letters.  
David took the cup and looked at her a moment. "You've changed your hair." he said. His voice was rough and throaty, like something being dragged over gravel and gave the impression that he was perpetually growling, the result of over twenty years of heavy smoking.  
She smiled. "You've finally noticed." she said and absently played with her pony tail. "I had it cut a few days ago and styled in the way Sailor Mars' has hers, though it's a bit shorter at the back than how she wears it."  
David nodded and sipped the coffee, but withheld any comment. His gaze wondered back to their reason for being there tonight; the large bulk carrier El Pablo that was docked at Wharf 18. They were waiting in a car park just out of sight of the wide gate onto the wharf. With them were over three dozen uniformed police officers, along with a few forensics officers and other specialists and representatives from Customs. After two years of investigation, this raid was as close they had come to finding any real evidence against the Blue Circle gang.  
David drained his cup and glanced at his watch. It was time. He nodded to a Sergeant who blew a whistle. Suddenly police were running from all directions, all headed for the gateway. Sirens started up and cars bearing more officers appeared from nearby streets, illuminating the area in a dancing pattern of red and blue lights. The first officers to reach the gate ordered the security guard away from his post and opened the barricade, allowing the squad cars onto the wharf. David and Hiroko got in their car and drove ahead of the officers that were forced to use their feet.   
David parked the car directly in front of the first of a line of trucks that sat waiting to be loaded with containers from the El Pablo, preventing it from moving. As he and Hiroko got out, officers were rounding up all those they could find and herding them into a group in a relatively clear part of the wharf. At the front of the group was a red faced man in a white shirt and tie who was busy screaming at a senior constable, who was in turn threatening the man with arrest if he didn't calm down and co-operate. As David and Hiroko approached, the constable turned his attention towards them.  
"Sir, this man here is the Night Manager. He wants to know why we've stopped him and his employees from working." the constable said.  
"What is the meaning of this?" The Manager blustered. "This ship has already been cleared by customs. You have no right to-"  
David reached into his pocket and presented the Manager with a piece of paper. "This is a warrant to search the ship and cargo you're unloading." he said. The manager was speechless for a moment, then he snatched the warrant out of David's hand and began reading it carefully.  
David turned to the senior constable. "Start searching."  
The constable nodded and ran off to issue orders. The Night Manager finished reading the warrant and was about to argue over it with David, but found David was already making his way towards a cluster of containers with Hiroko in tow.  
"You know, that wasn't very polite." she pointed out to the senior detective.  
"I don't care." David said.  
They came to a container that had just been opened by some constables. Another constable appeared and handed David several papers. He rifled through them and saw they were manifests and other shipping papers that had found in the docks' office. A constable shone a torch inside the container and they saw it was full of crates and boxes. David directed one of the constable to open a crate and inside they found it full of car parts. David checked it against the manifests and saw it was all accounted for.  
"Keep searching." He instructed the constables.  
Then they heard a cry from the other side of the dock. "Hey, Detective! You'd better come see this!"  
David and Hiroko hurried over to where a group of constables had prised open some crates from a shipping container that was sitting by itself on the dock. One of them shone a torch inside the crate, illuminating a jumble of darkly burnished metal. Hikari's jaw dropped, but David remained impassive. Inside were hundreds of assault rifles of various types, all packed neatly in layers and protected with plenty of packing material. Of the ones on the top that David could see, he counted several M-16's, MP5's, Kalishnikov's, Steyers and a few Uzi's.  
"What is this?" Hiroko said. "This was supposed to be drugs."  
David put on a pair of gloves, then reached into the crate and picked up an M-16. He worked the action to clear the breach of any rounds in the chamber, then tripped the catch to open weapon. He examined the firing mechanism inside and sighted down the inside of the barrel to check it was clear.  
"They're real." he said, closing the weapon again. To the constables, he said "Keep searching. You're sure to find more weapons and the ammunition for them." He placed the M-16 back in the crate and indicated for Hiroko to follow him.  
They walked a few steps away so they could speak without being overheard. "This is disturbing. That's too much firepower for normal gun running."  
Hiroko nodded in agreement. "It's like they're equipping an army."  
David thought for a moment. "It could be..." he began, then fell silent.  
Although only just recently partnered with him, Hiroko knew him well enough to know that tone. "But?"  
David dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "We don't have enough information. Let's keep searching." he said and turned back towards the crates full of guns. Hiroko sighed and followed after him.  
  
***  
  
Usagi huffed. She was hungry and this tour wouldn't be over for another twenty minutes. "Hey, Ami-chan! School is finally over for the year, I thought you said you wanted to do something fun this afternoon?" she said as she absently smoothed out imaginary wrinkles in her school skirt.  
"This is fun." Ami stated, paying more attention to the tour guides lecture about the cutting edge experiments being conducted at this new high energy physics lab than she was to her friend. She and Usagi had met up with Rei after their last day of school for the year, and joined the public tour of the recently completed facility.  
"But it's the holidays, and this is just like being back at school!" Usagi whined.  
Rei turned to her in irritation. "Will you be quiet, baka, you might learn something."  
"Oh like you can talk." Usagi shot back. "You're just here to check out the cute science students."  
"I am not." Rei said haughtily. "I'm here because I'm interested in expanding my mind."  
Usagi leaned close to her and whispered in her ear. "Then what are you going to do about that tall, dark and handsome that's been checking you out since the beginning of the tour."  
"Where? Where?" Rei almost shouted, looking frantically for the man. Instead she found Usagi in peals of laughter. Rei's eye's narrowed. "Usagi, I am going to kill you." she said in as menacing a voice as she could muster. Usagi just started laughing harder, infuriating Rei even more.  
Ami, hoping to defuse the situation before Rei got violent, tried to change the subject as the tour guide concluded this part of the tour and the group began moving to the next part. "Hey, where are Minako and Makoto?"  
"Mako-chan had to go run some errands this afternoon and Mina-chan has a date tonight." Usagi said, instantly changing gears from mirth to gossip.  
"Really? A date? With who?" Rei asked, getting caught up as well.  
"Kenji Takeda. He's captain of our school's soccer team. Him and Mina met at that party Naru had a few weeks ago."  
"You mean the one I couldn't go to because of that ceremony grandpa had at the temple?"  
Usagi nodded. "They really hit it off. This may be the real thing!" she said with a dreamy look in her eye.  
"Oh be sensible will you! One date's way too early to know that." Rei said crossly.  
"Says you!" Usagi shot back.  
"What do you mean by that?"  
"How's Yuuichirou?"  
Rei hesitated, the expression on her face slipping momentarily as she was stung by that remark. Then her facade returned and her face was flushed with anger. Or was it embarrassment. "Shut up, baka. There is nothing between me and Yuuichirou and even if there were, it would be none of your business."  
"Oh really you two!" Ami scolded. "Can't you say more than two words without getting in a fight?"  
Their tempo thrown off by Ami's outburst, Usagi and Rei looked at each other blushed bright crimson.  
"Sorry Ami. Sorry Rei-chan." Usagi said.  
"Yeah, sorry Ami." Rei said.  
"That's better." Ami said. "Now will you two keep moving, the tours finished in here."  
"Yeah, yeah, sure." Rei said dismissively and turned around to follow the group. Suddenly she was bumped from behind and felt her psychic senses flaring. Looking about, she spied a tall westerner move past her. Stopping in her tracks, all her awareness became focused on him till she was almost able to see the aura of his life force, an intangible pattern of energies that danced and shimmered just beyond what was visible. Yet there was something strange about it. The way it moved it, the way it appeared, the way it felt, seemed different and unusual, almost alien, to her. It was like putting on something made of wool, only to find it felt more like cotton. She ran her eyes over him from top to bottom, committing every detail of his appearance to memory. He was tall, but he was also broad of shoulder and appeared quite toned, as though he were no stranger to intense physical activity. And there was something about the way he moved and responded to others, like he was aware of all around him and used that to move in a deliberate and efficient manner, with no energy wasted on unnecessary actions. His hair was a light brown in colour and cut short and simple way. She guessed he was about twenty, and struck her as handsome enough with a straight face and strong jaw line, though his complexion was marred by an ugly scar that ran from his left cheek down his neck, as though the skin had been severely burnt some time ago and hadn't healed properly. He was dressed in jeans with a tan coloured short sleeve shirt over a plain T-shirt. She also noticed an odd shaped bulge in the small of his back, as if something lump with hard lines was tucked in the waistline of his pants.  
"Don't stop now, Rei-chan." Rei was shocked back to reality as Usagi tried to push her from behind, "You're going to miss out."  
Rei grabbed her and Ami's hands and pulled them off to the side, away from the group.  
"Rei, what's wrong?" Ami asked, catching the look in Rei's eye.  
"I sensed something about that man." she said, indicating the westerner with a nod of her head. Both Ami and Usagi watched the man as he took up a position at the rear of the tour group.  
"What? Is he evil?" Usagi asked.  
"I don't know. I've never felt this before. It's not evil, or at least not the sort we're used to dealing with. It's something else. There's something...different about him." Rei tried to explain as they watched the man.  
Suddenly the man seemed to sense they were watching him, for he turned and looked directly at them. They all blushed and looked away. He watched them for a moment more, then, with a glance back to the tour guide, turned and headed for the nearest exit.  
"He's leaving." said Ami.  
"Let's follow him." Rei said and they started after him as he disappeared through the doorway.  
They failed to notice another man in the tour group watch them leave, then slip out the door after them.  
  
***  
  
Usagi, Rei and Ami ran out onto the street, then stopped and looked about.  
"Where did he go?" Usagi wondered aloud.  
"There he his." Ami pointed. The other two looked and saw the man getting into a taxi. They broke into a run, but the man closed the door and the cab pulled into the traffic.  
"Who do you suppose he was?" Ami asked.  
"I don't know." Rei said. "But we'd better tell the others about this." She took out her communicator and was about to call them when Usagi stopped her.  
"You don't have to tell them now, do you?" she said.  
Rei and Ami looked at her quizzically. "Why shouldn't we?" Rei asked.  
"Because you'll end up ruining Minako-chan's date."  
Rei and Ami both rolled their eyes.  
"Moron! There are more important things than dates!" Rei exploded, causing Usagi to cringe.  
"I agree," began Ami, "but I don't think it's essential for Minako to be here for this."  
"What?" Rei turned to Ami, agape.  
"He hasn't done anything yet. All we really know about this man is that you felt there was something different about him, but that doesn't immediately make him evil. We should investigate this more before we go acting too rashly."  
Rei fumed, but finally agreed. "All right, we can tell Minako later. Now, if somebody" she turned on Usagi "has no objections, I'll call Makoto."  
"Umm, I actually told her we'd meet her in an hour for a chocolate sundae." Usagi said timidly.  
Rei threw her hands into the air, grabbed Ami and stormed off, leaving Usagi to catch up.  
As soon as their backs were turned, a figure emerged out of the shadows and watch the three Senshi's move quickly down the street, arguing loudly between themselves, then turned and looked in the direction the other man had gone. The figure, the man who had slipped out after the Senshi's had followed the first man out, smiled to himself. He was a westerner as well, though he was much shorter and a good deal older than the first, and sported a full beard that was as fiery red as his hair.  
"You know, I may just pull this off after all." he said to himself quietly, then vanished as though he had never been there.  
  
***  
  
Eiji Hamada didn't walk down the street so much as strut down it, like some pompous king walking the hallways of his palace, for that was how Eiji saw himself, as a King of the Street. He owned it, he lived it, and it was how he made his money. No mugger, hustler or dealer worked the streets without his permission, and no prostitutes whored themselves without paying him his cut. He had grown fat off that money, which had also paid for his extravagant clothes and the copious amounts of gold that adorned his body.  
In reality he wasn't so much a King of the Streets as he was a minor baron of Tokyo's criminal underworld. His 'turf' wasn't that spectacular either, a few streets in the commercial area of an unimportant suburb. On one of those streets was located Eiji's one and only brothel, which was his destination that afternoon.  
The brothel was in an old two storey brick building two doors down from the corner. Heavy drapes covered the windows, and the front door was cracked and its once pink paint had faded and peeled with age and disrepair. Much of the masonry was crumbling and faded a dull grey-brown, and dirt and grime was permanently etched into every nook and cranny.  
Directly across the street from the brothel was located a sweet store, it's windows filled with all manner of colourful childhood delights and shaded by a bright pink and white awning. The floor above the store used to be an apartment, but had long since been abandoned. It was from one of its windows that Eiji Hamada's entrance into his brothel was watched.  
Jon Winters settled himself back to wait. If his observations of Hamada's routine were accurate, he would spend fifteen minutes in the brothel collecting money from the girls who worked it, then exit the front door and continue on his way. But not today. Jon unzipped the large sports bag by his side and withdrew the weapon that would end Hamada's life. A colt commando, a shortened version of the M-16 assault rifle, and more than enough firepower for this job.  
He had spent a great deal of time selecting this site. The street was narrow, the distance from the apartment window to the brothels doorstep being only a fraction of the colt's range, and was quiet at this time of day. The steps up to the apartment were at the back and led down to an alley that ran parallel to the street, providing him with a nice, safe, getaway route. Plus, the thought of killing the pimp on the doorstep of his own brothel had an ironic satisfaction to it. Jon could only hope that some of the girls would use the opportunity his death presented to escape from the life they were trapped in.  
He slapped the magazine into the well and cocked it, drawing the first bullet into the chamber and setting the firing pin. He then settled back to wait. Though he expected Hamada to spend fifteen minutes inside, that was no guarantee that he would. The shape and weight of the rifle felt odd in his hands, it was too large and awkward, a result of the designers placing the firing mechanism forward of the trigger. He preferred what was known as a bull-pup configuration, where the moving parts were located behind the trigger in the stock of the weapon, allowing as long a barrel as possible to be fitted, thereby increasing accuracy whilst keeping the design compact and easy to use. Despite not being overly familiar with this weapon, he had practised with it enough that it wouldn't be a problem. Baring anything unexpected, he wouldn't need more than one bullet anyway.  
As he waited, he reviewed his preparations once more, in case he had missed any detail with his last hundred such reviews. He was in a concealed firing position with a clear line of sight to the target. It would be at a time least likely for a witness to be present. This would be the only time he would use this gun, then it would be disposed of with no way for it to be traced back to him. The balaclava and gloves he wore to were easily bought at any department store in Tokyo and would prevent him from leaving any fingerprints or loose hairs behind. His getaway route was planned to take him as far from the scene as possible without being seen. And most importantly, he had no known connection to the target for the police to trace.  
He thought briefly of the man he was about to kill. A dumb street tough who had only risen to this minor place of importance by being slightly smarter and a great deal luckier than the other dumb street toughs who worked this area. He peddled drugs to anyone with the money to buy, including children, abused the women who worked for him and organized robbery's and muggings. It was had been a failed mugging that had sealed his fate.  
Movement across the street caught Jon's eye. The door to the brothel opened and Hamada emerged. Jon brought the rifle up to his shoulder and took aim on Hamada's head as he stopped to light a cigarette on the doorstep. Jon took a final moment to ensure his aim was steady, then squeezed the trigger. The rifle kicked once and a fraction of a second later the back of Hamada's head exploded outwards, spraying blood, skull fragments and brain matter all over the door. He never even felt the bullet strike him.  
Jon was moving before Hamada's body hit the ground. Uncocking the rifle, he stuffed it back into the bag as he sprinted for the door. Taking the steps three at a time, he was on the ground and running down the alley moments later. He turned right into another alley that intersected the first, pulling the balaclava off his head at the same time. That action caused him to miss the tall school girl with brown hair who had suddenly crossed the mouth of the first alley.  
  
***  
  
Makoto had started running the moment she heard the gunshot. Her transformation pen found its way into her hand seemingly of its own volition, though she held off on using it, at least until she actually knew what the situation was. But, she decided, it couldn't be good if a gun had gone off.  
As she ran past an alley, her attention was caught by motion in her peripheral vision. By instinct she glanced that way and saw a man disappearing down another alley carrying a large sports bag and pulling a balaclava off his head. Though she got only a glimpse of his face, she did notice much of his left cheek and neck was heavily scarred. Then it struck her that he was running away from the scene. She stopped, then sprinted down the alley after him, but by then he was already out of sight.  
She turned around and started back towards where she had heard the gunshot. Sirens could now be heard drawing closer, and she knew she had to find a policeman and tell him what she had seen. She didn't know exactly what had happened, but she knew from the way that man was running that he had to be involved somehow. This may not have required the Sailor Jupiter's intervention, but a crime had still been committed and justice was required.  
She rounded the corner and found a small knot of people gathered around the doorway of an old brick building. Two policemen had already made it to the scene, one was stooped over somebody lying against the door, the other was keeping the other people at bay. Makoto run up and stopped beside a man, the logo on his apron signifying he was from the sweet shop across the road.  
"What happened here?" she asked him.  
"Somebody shot him." he said, a slight quiver in his voice. It was then Makoto became aware of all the blood. It ran down the door, was splattered all over the walls and was pooling on the ground. The bile rose in her throat and she felt herself gag. She had never thought it possible to smell blood before, but its stench permeated the air, a sickly sweet coppery smell that made her stomach turn. She took a deep breath and managed to keep her lunch down, then turned to the policeman who was keeping people from getting too close.  
"Excuse me." she said.  
"What?" the policeman asked gruffly, somewhat frazzled by the enormity of the situation and the many demands being placed on him.  
"I think I saw the man who did this." she said.  
"Stay here. The detectives will be along shortly, you can tell them what you saw."  
"Okay." She said as she inadvertently glanced at the body again, and got the sudden urge to throw up. "I'll just be waiting over there." she said, waving to somewhere behind the crowd, but the policeman's attention was already drawn to someone else. Makoto staggered a few feet, then doubled over and vomited. Her knees went weak and she collapsed against the side of the building. This wasn't like the other times. She'd dealt with death as a Senshi, but not like this. This was too violent, too bloody, too messy. This was death inflicted on a human by another human. This wasn't part of the battle between good and evil. This was murder. A simple, callous murder. It was so senseless her mind had trouble accepting that fact. She had to call the others. Even if not to actually get them involved, she need someone to talk to right now. She had to talk to Usagi. She may be an idiot at times, but she was always there for her friends when needed. 


	3. Part Two

Movements in the Shadows  
  
They sat together in silence, the three girls watching their friend. She had slumped forward, resting her head in her arms on the table of the diner. It was quiet at the moment, the evening rush hour was just starting and most people were heading home for a proper meal. Only a few who were working through the night stopped in for a bite to eat, meaning the girls had a choice of seats, and the one they chose was a booth in the back corner where they could have some privacy.  
"It's funny." Makoto said at last.  
"What is?" Rei asked.  
"As Senshi's, we've seen more than our share of death and destruction whilst fighting evil, but it was never like this. Queen Beryl and the Dark Kingdom, the Dark Moon Sisters, none of them were this bad. This was done by a human."  
Usagi put her arms around her. "At least you've given the police a description of the guy. They'll get him and put him in jail."  
"I suppose so." Makoto sighed. "But still, it makes me wonder. What's the point in fighting evil and protecting the Earth if people can do this to each other."  
"Because there are a lot of other reasons." Ami said. "Humans are capable of extreme violence, but they are also capable of great good. Just because a few people choose to do evil things doesn't mean that you should give up the fight against evil. What about all the good things in life like music, art, family and friends and love. Aren't they worth fighting for? Aren't they worth protecting?"  
"Yeah, I guess so, but it doesn't make me feel any better. I guess I just need some time to work through this."  
"We'll always be there for you if you need us, Makoto." Rei said. Ami and Usagi could not nothing else but agree.  
"Thanks everyone." Makoto said and fell silent again.  
Time seemed to tick by slowly, until Rei finally spoke. "So what did he look like?"  
"The guy I saw?" Makoto said. "He was a westerner, about twenty, and tall with brown hair and some really bad scarring on the left side of his face."  
Rei slammed her fists on the table as she shot to her feet, startling Usagi.  
"The left side of his face?" she almost shouted. "Are you sure?"  
"Positive. Why? Do you know him?"  
"That guy at the lab!" Ami realized.  
"I told you there was something about him!" Rei said.  
"What guy? What lab?" Makoto asked, startled out of her depression.  
"Before we met you we were on a tour of a new physics lab." Ami explained. "And Rei sensed something psychically about a westerner with a scar on the left side of his face."  
"I don't believe it!" Makoto exclaimed.  
"It's true." Rei said.  
"He must have had some interest in that lab." Ami though aloud. "Maybe he'll return there."  
"And when he does we can punish him!" Rei said with gusto.  
"Without acting too rashly, we can at least find out what he's up to." Ami overruled, causing Rei to cringe uncomfortably.  
"But when is he going to return?" Makoto asked.  
"We'll have to stake it out." Rei said.  
"But we can't watch it all day and night by ourselves. We're going to have to get Artemis' and Luna's help." Ami suggested. Rei and Makoto agreed.  
Ami turned to Usagi. "What do you think, Usag...." her voice trailed off. Usagi lay on the table with her head cradled in her arms, snoring softly. The Senshi's looked at each other and rolled their eyes.  
  
***  
  
It was dark by the time Usagi walked through the gate into her front yard. She pushed open the front door, bathing the porch in yellow light, and stepped inside. Slipping her shoes off and leaving them by the door, she dashed the short distance down the hall to the staircase.  
"Mama, Papa, I'm home!" she called as she mounted the first step.  
"Usagi, come in here please." The tone in her father's voice stopped her in her tracks.  
"Oh no, what have I done now?" Usagi mumbled to herself as she trudged resignedly into the dining room. Her father and mother were seated at the table, Papa at the head, with Mama to his left. Usagi took a seat opposite her and to his right, then looked at them with her head slightly bowed forward. "Yes, Papa?"  
"Usagi, your mother and I have been talking." he began. "You've just finished the ninth grade, you've only got three more years then you'll be in college. We want to know what you're planning on doing afterwards?"  
"What I'm planning on doing?" Usagi repeated, unsure of what they wanted.  
"You know, for a career?" Mama clarified.  
Usagi laughed. "Oh that! Don't worry, I know exactly what I'm going to do. I'm going to be a princess."  
Papa sighed. "Usagi, you're too old for such childish fantasies. Be serious."  
Usagi felt stung. "But I was being serious." her voice quavered.  
"Usagi, it's all well and good to have dreams and fantasies whilst you're a child, but it's time for you to grow up now and take responsibility for your future." Mama said.  
Usagi looked down at the tables' surface and said nothing.  
"Do you understand?" Mama asked.  
"Hai." she said at last, her head dropping even further.  
"So, what are you going to do?" Papa asked.  
"I don't know." Usagi said.  
"Well, what would you like to do?" Mama asked.  
"I don't know." Usagi said again.  
Mama and Papa let out a sigh together. "What activities do you like doing now?" Mama suggested.  
"Besides eating, sleeping and playing video games." Papa interjected.  
Usagi whimpered. "That's what I was about to say."  
"Enjoying those things is all well and good, but you can't make a career out of them." Papa explained. "No one is going to pay you to do that."  
"Try to think of some things that you like to do that people would be willing to pay you for." Mama said.  
"How about saving the world and punishing evil." Usagi suggested half-heartedly.  
"Well, a bit grandiose, but I suppose you could make a career out of that." Papa said, misinterpreting the remark.  
"If that's what you'd like to do, how about a career as a police officer?"  
Usagi's jaw dropped. "What? No, I didn't mean-"  
"That could work." Papa agreed. "And with her grades, it's achievable."  
"But-"  
"It would certainly give her a sense of responsibility." Mama said.  
"You can't-"  
"It might even give Shingo the incentive to stay out of trouble when he gets older." Papa said.  
"I don't-"  
"But wouldn't it be dangerous?" Mama wondered.  
"Would you just-"  
"Not really. Police work in Japan is nowhere near as dangerous as it is in America or the rest of the West." Papa said reassuringly.  
"You're not-"  
"But what career opportunities would there be for her? I mean, you don't see too many women as senior police commanders." Mama said.  
"I can't-"  
"Well, that's still at least twenty years from now, but it couldn't hurt to find out some more about it first." Papa said.  
"Will you please-"  
"She could go down to the local police station tomorrow for some information. Maybe they'll have some brochures." Mama said.  
"Can't I just-"  
"Good idea." Papa agreed, then he turned to Usagi. "Your mother and I think it's a wonderful idea. Aren't you glad we had this talk."  
"Now run along, Usagi." Mama said. "I'm sure the school gave you some study to do over the holidays. Dinner will be ready in half an hour."  
Usagi huffed, then stood and left the dining room. "Honestly, they're almost as bad as Luna." she whinged under her breath.  
  
***  
  
Nobody paid much attention to the middle-aged western man with a full beard and fiery red hair as he queued patiently for tickets, least of all Minako and Kenji Takeda. Neither of them noticed him discreetly watching them as they left the theatre, nor the slight smile that curled on lips.  
Minako shivered slightly as they left the climate controlled interior of the movie theatre for the street. It may have been early summer, but there was a vaguely noticeable chill in the air, and the cute short skirt and blouse ensemble she had chosen for tonight wasn't very warm. Nor was the way their date was going.  
"I really liked the movie." Minako said, trying to make conversation.  
"Yeah, they had some really cool fight scenes, but that car chase was just total crap." Kenji said.  
"I really liked how it ended with the main guy realizing how he loved his girlfriend and proposing to her." Minako said.  
"Oh yeah. I guess that was okay." Kenji said without much enthusiasm, much to Minako's disappointment.  
They came to a bus stop and Kenji paused to read the schedule. As he did Minako watched him and wondered. Was this the same boy who had charmed her at that party not so long ago? Then he had seemed so cool and funny, but now she wasn't so sure. He was still funny, but most of his jokes were either gross or extremely juvenile, and he had the annoying habit of making snide comments about others and putting them down. It was just so immature the way he was acting, nothing like Alan had been. He had been so grown up and responsible, almost completely the opposite to how Kenji was acting now.  
"Ah, crap. The next bus won't be for another hour and I've got a game tomorrow." Kenji whined.  
"I think there's a bus that runs past the university about now." Minako suggested.  
Kenji looked at his watch. "Yeah, in, like, ten minutes. We aren't going to have time to go around the university." he said, then started off at a quick stride.  
"Wait, you don't mean we have to go through the university?" Minako asked as she caught up   
"What, are you scared or something?" Kenji snickered.  
Minako felt her skin flush. "No. C'mon." she said and marched ahead.  
"Hey wait up!" Kenji called after her  
  
***  
  
The buildings of the Juban University seemed to have been placed in a haphazard fashion, with little though for those unfamiliar with the layout, and Minako and Kenji soon found themselves hopelessly lost. Pathways between buildings were unlit and poorly marked so that more than once they found themselves inadvertently leave a path and loose their way amongst the many trees that grew in the open spaces of the campus. During the day, those trees provided welcome shade and screened out the noises of the city, but at night they only served to obscure any landmarks that might have been used as a navigational reference. Resigned to having missed their bus, they now searched for a way out of the university's grounds.  
"I think we should go that way." Kenji said, pointing towards a building with darkened windows and an occasional exterior light.  
"Why that way?" Minako asked.  
"It looks like an office building, so maybe it has a map." Kenji explained.  
Minako thought that a doubtful likelihood, but without a better alternative, agreed.  
They walked all around the building, but found no map. Finally stopping to rest on a bench under a lamp post, they reflected upon their situation.  
"Maybe I should call someone to come and pick us up."  
"No, don't do that. I can get us out of this." Kenji said with determination as he stood. "Let's get moving."   
He turned but found his way blocked by six young men, barely out of their teens themselves, but still older than him and Minako by several years. Each wore dirty, threadbare and ill-fitting clothes that, even were they new, looked as though they were nothing more than rags. None of them had shaved in several weeks and their stubble grew in scraggly tufts, further enhancing their misshapen features. Some sported tattoos of various unsavoury images and all carried scars and festering sores. They each wore bandanna's of a dirty green colour tied about their heads and covering their hair. Their mouths were curled in quarrelsome sneers and their eyes belied a cockiness and arrogance that was reflected in the way they walked and carried themselves. One at the front of the group carried an unlit cigarette in his hand.  
"Hey, you'se got's a light?" he wheezed as he approached Kenji.  
"No, I don't smoke." Kenji said.  
Suddenly he grabbed the front of Kenji's shirt. "Give's your wallet!" he shouted.  
Kenji tried to punch the man in the face, but was easily brushed aside. In return the man kicked Kenji in the groin, then let him crumple onto the ground, groaning in agony.  
"Hey, leave him alone!" Minako shouted and tried to jump to Kenji's defence, but was grabbed by one of the men, this one sporting a large snake tattoo on his neck. He quite openly eyed her body and licked his lips in a way that filled her with dread and revulsion. She kicked out at his shins. He yelped and his grip on her slackened enough for her to break free. She turned and fled into the trees and shadows of the campus, her basic instincts seeking a means of escape but soon knew that would not come as she heard the sounds of pursuit behind her.  
She pushed herself to go as fast as she could. She needed to lose them and find somewhere to transform. She thought about using her communicator to call for help, but her heavy breathing would make speech impossible. She suddenly wished Artemis was with her, but she had earlier insisted on her privacy tonight. She then considered screaming in the hopes that someone nearby would come to her aid, but as she opened her mouth to draw a lung full of air, she felt something catch between her feet and foul her step.  
Suddenly face first on the ground, she felt several bodies land atop her and course hands roughly turning her over. A scream did escape her lips as she felt hands snake their way up her skirt and grab at her panties. Then a hand was slapped over her mouth so hard it brought tears to her eyes. She saw the Snake Tattoo laying atop her and forcing himself between her legs as he violently pulled at the collar of her blouse. Beside him, two other men pinned her arms and shouted encouragement to the Snake Tattoo whilst a third tried to rip her panties out from under the weight of his body. She felt his hot breath on her neck. It stank of decaying matter, cheap alcohol and vomit. Sweat covered his brow and dripped onto her chest and a sore along his jaw line wept openly. His pupils were dilated and lended to the crazed look in his eye which filled Minako with unreserved terror. Then the buttons on her blouse popped and tore and the Snake Tattoo let out a whoop.  
Something moved behind the men, and then suddenly two of them were flung away from her as easily as if they had been rag dolls. A third was flattened in moments, then an arm wrapped around the Snake Tattoo's neck and pulled back violently as a weight was pressed into his lower back, forcing him into a painful arch accompanied by a loud crack of bone. His head was shoved forward against the arm by another. His eyes bulged and mouth gaped for air as his windpipe and jugular veins were crushed. Then he went limp and was tossed aside by a westerner.  
One of Minako's attackers had recovered his feet and tried an ungainly jumping kick at the Westerner who dodged it and stepped inside the man's defences to jab his elbow into the man's nose followed by a jaw breaking uppercut. He slumped limply to the ground and didn't stir. The Westerner then looked about, seeking another threat but found only the two unconscious attackers and Minako, the other two men having fled in the confusion. He then turned his attention to her.  
"Are you okay?" he asked as he helped her to sit up. He removed the shirt he wore open over a plain T-shirt and wrapped it around her.  
"Hai, thank you. Help me up please." she said as she grasped his shirt closed over her torn blouse. Then she gasped. "Kenji! He's still in trouble."  
"Show me." The Westerner said as he stood and pulled her to her feet.  
"This way." Minako said and started running back the way she came.  
They came within sight of where the other two men stood over a battered and bruised Kenji. He lay on the ground, moaning and barely conscious, his empty wallet by his head. With no fight left in their victim, the two men amused themselves by repeatedly kicking him in the gut and face and laughing.  
"Stay here." The Westerner directed Minako behind a tree, then silently ran up behind the two men. As the man with the cigarette, now lit and being happily puffed, took a turn kicking Kenji in the gut, the Westerner lashed out with his foot at the leg he stood on and crumpled him at the knee, then grabbed the other man around the head and tripped him, driving his head backwards onto the ground, then punched him hard enough to break his nose. He stood and turned his attention back to the one with the cigarette as he came back up to his feet and lunged at the Westerner with a knife. The Westerner stepped inside his blow, then gripped his arm and savagely twisted it. Minako cringed as she heard a sickening pop and the knife fell from the now limp hand. The man opened his mouth to scream, but a quick jab from the Westerner silenced him. He released his grip on the man who then slumped noisily to the ground. Seeing as both opponents were now unconscious, he then bent over Kenji and quickly examined his injuries.  
Minako hesitantly stepped out from behind the tree and knelt down beside her beaten date.  
"Hey! Can you hear me?" The Westerner said loudly and gently shook him.  
One of Kenji's eyes opened slightly and he moaned and his head nodded slightly.  
"He's been badly beaten. I can feel a couple of cracked ribs and some internal bleeding around his abdomen and his arm's definitely broken. Fortunately his skull and spine still feel in one piece, but you need to get him to a hospital as soon as possible to make sure." the Westerner said.  
Minako touched Kenji's face, and felt tears well within her when her hand came away bloody. She blinked them away.  
"Hey!" The Westerner said to her. "Do you hear what I'm saying?"  
"H-hai." Minako said. "But I can't call an ambulance without a phone, unless you have one?"  
The Westerner shook his head. He then stood and hoisted Kenji onto his shoulder. "There's a pay phone on the street this way." he said and started off.  
Minako caught up with him. "Here, let me help you with him." she said and tried to take some of Kenji's weight.  
"If you want, but he's not heavy." the Westerner said. "Are you sure you're okay?"  
"I'm fine." Minako said.  
"You're quite a strong girl. Most people wouldn't be reacting this well."  
"Arigatou. It's a good thing you happened by when you did." she said.  
"I was just taking a short cut through the university." he said, but Minako noticed a hint of a guarded look cross his features.  
They came to end of the university's grounds and passed through a gate in the fence out to the streets. As they entered the pool of light from a street lamp, Minako got her first good look at the Westerner and noticed the scarring on the left of his face. Suddenly he stopped.  
"You wait here in the light whilst I go call the ambulance." he said as he put Kenji down, then indicated the phone booth down the road. "Try to keep him awake. Don't let him go to sleep. If he does, he might stop breathing."  
"Hai." Minako said as she sat by Kenji's form and gently stroked his hair.  
As the Westerner left to use the phone, Minako softly spoke reassuring words to Kenji and occasionally prodded him awake. His eyes opened and his mouth moved as if trying to speak, but no sound came and his eyes closed again.  
"It's on its' way." the Westerner said as he returned. "Now, if you're sure you're okay, I have to go." he said.  
"What, no you can't." she protested. "You can't just leave us!"  
"I can't stay here." he said.  
Minako looked at him. "Who are you?"  
"It's better for both of us if you don't know." he said, then turned and disappeared into the shadows. 


End file.
